University of Cincinnati sophomore Madinah Slaise never hesitated. But as soon as she released the deep three-point shot, she wondered if her coach was going to scream.
''It was there and I took it, and I was so glad it went in,'' Slaise said later. ''When I hit it, I was pumped.''
''That one killed me,'' UC coach Laurie Pirtle said. ''I was like, 'Oh, please go in.' ''
Slaise hit four consecutive shots to help the Bearcats pull away in the final minutes for a 78-72 victory over Xavier on Wednesday night in the women's Crosstown Shootout.
The atmosphere could not have been better. The game drew a record crowd of 2,361 to Xavier's Schmidt Fieldhouse, and fans were lined around the upper balcony of the arena and standing the whole night. The crowd was vocal until the end.
The Musketeers had pulled within 66-64 on a rebound basket by senior Connie Hamberg with 2:41 left.
Slaise's second three-pointer of the night gave UC a five-point lead. On the Bearcats' next two possessions, she hit a bank shot from the left side and another mid-range jump shot. That one put Cincinnati in front 73-67 with 1:09 to play.
UC put the game away by hitting 5-of-8 free throws in the final 56.9 seconds.
''Tonight's game was sort of a sign that we can win the close games on the road in a really exciting environment,'' Pirtle said.
Slaise, a 5-foot-10 guard from Lima, had a career-high 25 points with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
''She really stepped up,'' Pirtle said.
The Bearcats (14-4) won the Shootout for the second consecutive year.
Junior guard Nikki Kremer tied her career-high with 15 points and Hamberg tied her career-high with 24 points for Xavier, which dropped to 12-7.
Notebook: Muskies cool off after quick start
